Negative publicity and advertising scandals: causes and impact

¶ … fashion industry Calvin Klein has forever been in trouble with critics who claim that his advertisements indulge in child pornography. Klein's most vociferous critics are consumer and child welfare who have ongoing mission in crusading against Klein and his marketing. In 1989, Brooke Shields, then barely fifteen, modeled a sexually attractive woman, who uttered the slogan, "What comes between me and my Calvin's? Nothing." Sales soared and no reprisals occurred. Giant billboards in Time Squares portrayed youth wearing nothing but their briefs. In 1995, Klein again produced advertisements that featured pubescent minors in suggestive poses. A legal investigation discovered that the model were adults. In that image, featured in the style of the 1960s, a model tugs at the crotch of her pants whilst another youth lolls suggestively by. Both are leaning against a paint-splattered ladder in a cheap room, with the TV spots leaving little doubt that the image intended to portray pornography. In one ad, the camera focused on the body of the boy whilst an off-scene camera voice entices him to rip off his shirt: "You got a real nice look. How old are you? Are you strong? You think you could rip that shirt off of you? That's a real nice body. You work out? I can tell." (Media Awareness Network) in another, a young girl is told not to be nervous and that she is pretty as she begins to unbutton her clothes. This third troubling Calvin Klein advertising campaign, however, was forced to retract that same day.

Klein assured that the campaign far from being pornographic was intended to:

"convey the idea that glamour is an inner quality that can be found in regular people in the most ordinary setting; it is not something exclusive to movie stars and models" (Media Awareness Network). However, the American Family Association threatened to boycott stores that carried Calvin Klein products, and major magazines refused to carry his ads.

Klein attempted to reverse his image in a 1999 campaign when he portrayed playing child (boys and girls) clad only in CK underwear. Appearing in the New York Post and in prominent magazines, as well as over a huge billboard in Times Square, they were recalled 24 hours later under huge pressure due to the public and experts citing them as pornographic due to their sexualized image of young children, and their high definition on sexual body parts. A Calvin Klein spokesman claimed that these images intended "to capture the same warmth and spontaneity that you find in a family snapshot" (Media Awareness Network). Nonetheless, Klein's reputation had preceded all excuses. His reputation for child pornography was too strong and seems to have become a part of his image.

Seemingly Klein needs a miracle in order to repair the company's reputation. On the one hand, however, its notoriety seems only to propel sales, as provocative advertisements seem to increase sales particularly amongst youth.

Strategies, however, that Klein can use to reverse its image include Online Reputation Management (ORM) where Klein can monitor, address, or mitigate negative mention in online media and Web content. These include material from online users and professional journalists. ORM tracks online content of the company or individual, whilst promoting a positive or neutral reputation and pushing down those highly-ranked negative links that the company may not want displayed when its name arises (Gaines-Ross, 2008).